


home & away

by flybynight



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-13 01:17:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11173995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flybynight/pseuds/flybynight
Summary: Arthur receives the surprise of his life one day, and from an entirely unlikely source.





	home & away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avalonroses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avalonroses/gifts).



> pairing: usuk  
> rating: mature (slightly explicit)  
> notes: written for a friend! Apologies for any mistakes or rushed parts. I've been considering expanding this or flushing it out a little more, but for now it's simply a standalone. Let me know your thoughts, if you feel so inclined! :)

They were on the cusp of summer break, when classes were a little harder to maintain from the simultaneous rumble of excitement yet lack of wherewithal to actually participate in the course with any real enthusiasm. Arthur's students were no different really, though they'd learned that Mr. Kirkland had little tolerance for slacking off, and so even if the rest of their teachers were more prone to look the other way and reduce valuable class time into 'let's read half a passage from the textbook and then watch a video for 45 minutes', Arthur most definitely wasn't. Every year it was the same, and every year he never made an exception. 

This ended up granting him with a rather steely reputation, but most students upon entering his course knew from the start what he was like. It was a good thing that he was so talented at what he did, benevolent in other areas, able to explain concepts with ease, that most if not all of them ended up liking him by the end of their terms anyway. Or maybe it was the accent-- being an omega ex-pat from England teaching in small town America had some pitfalls, but there were at least a handful of perks. He was considered 'charming' even when he was lecturing very sternly about complex grammatical concepts and the finer points of 18th century Western literature. 

It was the end of an ordinary Wednesday, with a mere 48 hours from the imminent release of school altogether, and Arthur was absolutely knackered, having been bogged down for weeks prior with finals preparation, grading, and subsequent prep for the beginning of the new term that was still three months away, though it may as well have been three weeks. He was thankful he wasn't teaching any of the seniors, lord knew that was its own dilemma. He had the still somewhat fresh-faced sophomores under his wing, no longer new but still impressionable enough that they didn't fight him on much yet. They were all good kids. 

So good, that even as Arthur slogged through the last few pages of their course book, despite the fact that none of them wanted to listen, all of them remained in their seats, quiet. He had never been so bloody thankful. Because today, of all days, Arthur found it difficult _himself_ to concentrate. And it had absolutely nothing to do with school or deadlines.

He'd been thinking again, something he had found out more than a year ago was a dangerous thing for him to do, since the day he started seeing Alfred Jones. It was bad in that he knew that 'thinking' got him no where when he attempted to understand how he'd managed to entangle his life so thoroughly with another, with an _alpha_  of all things, the one sort of person he'd told himself since he was 16 that he'd never become involved with so strongly, but it simply was what it was.

Alfred had met him his first night in the states in fact, the very first night that Arthur had moved in, a small fish in an honestly smaller pond than he was used to, despite everything else in American being so ridiculously oversized. He'd chosen this life because he'd thought it would be better for him, what with parents back in London who wanted nothing for him but to settle down and mate and give up his job of teaching in favor of child rearing or what have you.

Arthur had said 'bugger that' and moved to the U.S. with the intent of settling down, but _not_  with anyone, not even in passing. Alfred met him at the door of his apartment, a fellow who lived just across the hall and had heard the omega dragging his stuffed suitcases up the stairs in lieu of the broken elevator and had offered to help him bring in the rest of his things from the lobby. Arthur took one look at the _very_  alpha young man with the long legs, large arms, and stunning grin and said 'yes', because how does one say no to that? Well, he could have, but as he would also learn quickly, Alfred was not the sort of man to take 'no' for answer when it came to things like that. 

Within one week, Alfred had asked him to dinner, and within two weeks of _that_  they were dating, seeing each other on the regular, and a whole year later Arthur didn't dare admit to himself that it was perhaps the most fulfilling relationship he'd never believed he could have with anyone, let alone a handsome American who was much too loud, much too flirty, and much too sweet for him. He loved him enough to talk about him to others, to keep a picture of him on the desk in his office that everyone knew he had despite Arthur being so private about everything else in his life.

Of course Alfred was perfect in a lot of ways, so it stood to reason that he'd have a career that only kept him around certain part of the year. That was one of the few bad things about him, about their connection together, and Arthur knew that he couldn't blame anyone but himself for falling so ridiculously hard and fast for someone like that. A soldier, in the military, who'd merely been on leave for a little while before having to be shipped off to god knew where whenever called to do so, and Alfred, being a good man, was dedicated to his duty, his principles, and the omega could only love him all the more for it.

Even if the last time they'd been together it had seemed entirely the opposite. It shamed him to think about, but they'd fought. It had been the worst kind, too-- the sort that caused hurt, inspired tears, cut deep wounds. He didn't remember how or why anymore, only that he knew it was about them, about the future of their relationship. About _mateship._ About the fact that Alfred took his job in the military so seriously, that he hadn't even considered how Arthur might feel about it, despite the fact that they'd long since moved in together and taken all the other steps that practically made them mates already. Arthur had been good about keeping it to himself, but it had boiled over until he'd been unable to hold it in any longer. Alfred had come to him to tell him that he was being deployed, and all the omega had had to offer him was demands

He had _finally_  grasped what he truly wanted, but with how things had turned out, now... he couldn't bear to ask that of Alfred. He couldn't dare to ask the alpha to make such a commitment to him, _demand it_  as if it were owed to him, like he'd done, above all else, because Alfred had had his life before Arthur and he didn't need him. And that frightened the omega most of all. 

It had been four months since then. When it was over, and Alfred was gone, gone for how long, Arthur didn't know, that was his biggest regret. It was his fault for asking for things he shouldn't have. He knew at the time he would have the rest of the semester to distract him from things, and even if coming home to an empty apartment and sleeping with Alfred's shirts was all he had to look forward to, he made it work. But now summer was upon them. What would he have to distract him then? 

He was thinking again. And he shouldn't have been. He still had three days to get through, to cling to, to distract him from his loneliness. So he turned back to the task at hand. 

The first fifteen minutes of class went by, and Arthur stifled a soft sigh as he walked to the blackboard, chalk in hand, writing in his neat script the main points of the chapter that they'd technically already covered, but it was more of a review. A review they didn't really _need_ , mind, but Arthur Kirkland was nothing if not thorough about finishing the syllabus. For a moment there was only the sound of him writing against the board, but from the corner of his eyes he spotted movement behind him. 

He didn't pay it any mind at first, finishing the sentence he was writing before he turned to look back at the class. When he did, he found all of them staring back at him, but there was a very distinct difference. For one thing, they all looked rather wide-eyed. Deer-in-headlights, just saw a ghost, sort of thing. He shifted the book in his hands and came up to his desk.

"May I have some volunteers to read this chapter aloud for the class?" he paused meaningfully, as he always did, because most never did, they were all far too shy or awkward as teenagers tended to be, but he always hoped someone would surprise him. When they didn't, he smiled faintly and pointed to one of the girls near the back, Maggie, who quickly nodded, brushing her red curls out of her face as she glanced down at the page and began to read. 

Arthur was listening carefully, patiently, as he stared at some spot on the wall near the door. He was unfocused for a brief moment, when he heard the crinkle of paper, and in his surprise, turned his head just in time to see one of the boys in the back passing something across the aisle. This wasn't really anything new. Children passed notes all the time, it was simply par for the course, and he rolled his eyes a bit.

"Very good, Maggie," he said when the girl finished part of the passage, before looking to the boy who had passed the first note. "Brent, you're up now." 

It gave him just a bit of satisfaction when the young beta turned red and cleared his throat to read, realizing he'd been caught. Arthur wasn't a tyrant, but he admitted he could be if he wanted to. Brent began reading, and Arthur walked back behind his desk to pick up the chalk again. He started writing, still listening as the boy read, but once again he heard movement behind him, and the subtle sound of whispers. 

The omega clicked his tongue in some disapproval as he turned around again. Brent had stopped speaking, and he and the rest were staring at Arthur in that odd way again as though they all had collectively gotten their hands caught in the biscuit tin. It was disconcerting for a moment, because he was very certain now that something wasn't quite right. They'd never behaved this way, children would be children, of course, but his class was usually very good. His class also knew that once again, Arthur was bit of a stickler, and he wouldn't tolerate them being silly. They only had twenty minutes more of class and then they could all go home, surely they could have held out a little longer? 

He assigned another child the rest of the chapter, and this time he folded his arms across his chest as he looked them over, the other students all avoiding his gaze and looking 'dutifully' down at their texts. Somehow that was even _more_  suspicious, but Arthur had no reason to call them all out on anything without ample evidence. When the class went quiet again, Arthur walked back to the board again and picked up the chalk. 

He was not even finished writing the first word when there was a loud shuffle of paper, and he whirled around. 

"All right now, that's enough, you lot," he grumbled as he looked out at them, and now very clearly he could see one of the girls in the front row holding a piece of folded paper in her hands. It was right there on her desk, and she looked up at Arthur not quite fearful exactly, more... anticipatory? Now that was odd. 

Never the less, Arthur shook his head as he approached her. "I can see that you've all found a way to entertain yourselves. I know it's not exactly the most _thrilling_ material, but I expect better of you. You've still got tomorrow and Friday to deal with me, you know." 

He held his hand out casually, indicating for her to pass him the note. To his surprise, she did so-- willingly. And with a smile on her face no less. Arthur tried not to show how further perplexed he was, and imagined that whatever was written in its contents was probably something he wouldn't like. If they were all this amused by it, then it could have even been at his expense. He twitched a little in irritation, but unfolded the paper quickly to confirm his suspicions. 

It simply read: ' _WILL'_. 

Arthur's brow furrowed as he stared at it. What sort of note was this supposed to be? Why was it not filled with ugly scribbles or ridiculous internet chatspeak or juvenile insults like most notes he found tucked away in the students desks after class or discarded on the floor? The mystery of it all only deepened when another student in the row beside them raised his hand, another piece of folded paper between his fingers. 

"Here, Mr. Kirkland," he said, and Arthur detected a bit of slyness as he reached out to pluck it from his hands. 

"I'm sure this is all very fun for you," he commented, with only a little more agitation, as he unfolded this piece as well. 

' _YOU'_ , it said.

Now Arthur was _extremely_ confused. It must have been showing on his face as he saw a few of the other students giggling a bit, and the omega felt a bit put on the spot. Once again he didn't understand, since his class had never seemed to be the sort to attempt to rag on their teacher in any capacity. They weren't perfect, but they weren't little miscreants either. He wasn't sure what to say. 

But by then another note was held up. Once he took that one, there's another, and another, until he'd collected five in total, and the group of them went completely quiet as Arthur read them, eyes widening as a clear and evident pattern emerged.

One word on each piece, and in the order of receipt: 

' _WILL YOU BE MY MATE_ ', it said, and Arthur nearly dropped them, startled, once he heard the door to the classroom opening behind him. The smiles on his students faces were blinding, and there were steps walking towards him, familiar hands curled over his shaking shoulders as he heard a sudden and rough voice near his ear that nearly sent him to the floor. 

"Thanks guys, you did great. I think I can take it from here-- Class dismissed!" 

\--

It was Alfred, because of course it would be. Arthur was completely breathless with the fact that it was him, completely stunned into silence that was drowned out by his students laughing and murmuring and gathering their things as his boyfriend, Mr. Jones, strut to the front of the class decked out in his fatigues and dog tags and cap and suntanned skin, smiling like a damn movie star for them. 

Arthur thought he must either have been in the middle of a dream, or Alfred had walked out of one of them, a wish made real. He gaped at him long enough to process everything but the notes still crumpled in his hands. That was when he stopped them all in their tracks and explained that Alfred was _not_  the teacher here, and class was  _not_ dismissed when they still had another 10 minutes left to go.

It was rather fruitless honestly, but with Alfred's sheepish and apologetic smile on their behalf, Arthur managed a go of it, bullshitting his way through those last ten minutes he'd insisted upon, despite the fact that he had no idea anymore what he was even saying, the words blurred together on the page from the tears of unearthly emotion that warmed his eyes. But the bell finally sounded, and Arthur gave a weak farewell as they all clamored out. He could swear they were all looking at him expectantly as they left, and every last one of the alphas gave Alfred a high five on their way out. Arthur lost it once the door was shut and the bell had stopped ringing.

"How-- what-- Alfred!" Arthur helplessly blurted out the man's name for lack of coherency just as Alfred came near him again, laughing warmly as he pulled him into an embrace. 

"I called your principal like two weeks ago--"

"You-- Coming in here and dismissing _my_ class, who exactly do you think you are!" 

"The kids all knew who I was already, you've talked about me before, haven't you?" 

"Don't change the subject!" 

Alfred was damnably innocent looking as he shrugged his shoulders-- god had they gotten bigger? All of him seems to have grown taller, stronger, Arthur's eyes roamed over his form almost hypnotically before he had to shake himself back to the reality in which he was not smitten and half drooling but was in fact _furious_. 

"How about _you_ don't avoid my question. I asked first, after all," Alfred murmured as he disarmed the omega with practiced ease, despite so many months apart, and folded his hands over his, the ones still cradling the bits of paper that had changed his entire world in mere moments. "So?" 

So. _So._

He didn't know how to answer the question, or how to even begin, when there were so many other more pressing matters. Like how a call to the principal was somehow enough to orchestrate a scheme with 26 teenagers, and have it all go off with a hitch, save for the fact that Arthur was torn between passing out or having a grand meltdown. Or how in the world Alfred thought it was perfectly fine to show up after four months with no contact, not even a single email or letter, not even to tell him he was coming home on leave, just to ask him such a thing.

But he was there and he was  _real_ , and that is also much more pressing. Arthur's heart hadn't started working again properly from the moment he'd heard the alpha's voice near his ear, and even then it stuttered, caught in his throat. Alfred just watched him, and it was as if he knew, and when Arthur still didn't answer, he took him by the hand. 

"Come on over here, honey. Sit," he murmured gently, leading Arthur over to his desk chair. Arthur half fell into it as Alfred in turn knelt on the ground in front of him. Sort of like he was prepared to propose all over again, and the omega felt his head swim.

"I know I should have told you. There's like... a million things I could have, _should have_ done differently, but I picked this one way because you know I'm an ass and I need to make a big deal out of everything, and anyways it was the end of the year for them and you, so I thought, why not?" 

Alfred would always explain things in a stream of consciousness sort of way. One of the 'bad' things that used to irk Arthur but now he was hanging on every word. 

"And I know I haven't called you or messaged you, I _know that_ , I'm a huge shitheel I'll just get that all out of the way--" 

Alfred also wasn't very good at admitting his mistakes. In fact, he was terrible at it. Call it alpha pride, call it the man's own special brand of stubbornness. But like the many times before, Arthur found himself already forgiving him. 

"But baby I-- how things were, when I left? I haven't forgotten. Not for a single moment, and it was really fucking wrong of me for leavin' you like I did. I know I had to, but I should have tried to fix it, I shouldn't have made you doubt for a single second that I wouldn't give you _everything_ , Arthur. I'll regret that for the rest of my life, except at least, maybe with this, I can make up for it?" 

"You said you didn't think it would work. That you'd always have to leave me and that there was really no purpose--" Arthur repeated the words from that horrible night before Alfred was deployed, but they're not accusing. Alfred patiently nodded and squeezed his fingers. 

"And I was wrong. I want to be your mate, Arthur. Through everything, I want you to be the one I come home to. I want to listen to your stories, I want to eat your horrible cooking--" Arthur laughed in the middle of his tears, and Alfred paused, just to brush a kiss against his knuckles before he continued, "I want to make goddamn beautiful children with you, all of that--I want to settle down with _you_."

Arthur reached out, placing a finger against his lips. "You can stop now." 

"So... is that a no, or...?" 

"How long will you be staying this time?" 

Alfred sighed tiredly, and now Arthur could see the heaviness in the rest of him. It had been a long journey for him, Arthur had no doubt. And even longer before that. Alfred looks bigger, but he also looks older, less like the man from even a year ago, though his eyes are exactly the same. "I hope at least a couple of months. I was lucky to get out as early as I did. I don't know if..." 

Arthur hushed him again. Alfred didn't look annoyed, but those eyes were still waiting. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured, though he quickly continued when the alpha's shoulders slumped sharply, "No, you idiot, I'm sorry for-- for before. With everything, I shouldn't have sprung that on you right before you were about to leave, that was entirely my fault, and I should have thought it through more or given you more time, I didn't want you to feel pressured to change anything for someone like me, I mean, for me at all--"

Arthur knew, faintly, that he also had a tendency to ramble when he was overwhelmed. It was a 'bad' thing that the both of them had in common, but apparently it was something Alfred liked about him too. The way he drew Arthur down to kiss him, warm lips coaxing and fingers that curled along his face tenderly, it was full of acceptance.

This time, when he remembered to breathe again, and Alfred looked into his face, Arthur nodded. 

"Yes. _Yes_." 

So. _So_. 

He gave his answer, and Alfred looked almost as shocked as Arthur had been moments ago. As if he'd done all that and still expected the omega to really and truly reject him. But he grabbed hold of him, and Arthur went willingly, laughing as he was dragged to the floor and onto Alfred's lap and kissed again and again and again and until they were both breathless and trembling with happiness. 

After a few moments, it became clear that they couldn't quite stop. Alfred held him as if trying to reacquaint himself with all of him, with how he felt, where to touch, how to make Arthur bend and twist and gasp. And they were still fully _clothed_. Alfred felt different in many respects, but Arthur found that just beneath the surface it was purely him, beneath his skin and his hardened, sculpted form, the same addictive quality that had made it so easy for him to fall. 

But the problem was, they were in the middle of his classroom. The bell had rung some ten minutes ago, and yet still, Arthur had the decency to gently push the alpha's mouth away from his neck and (try to) remove his hand from it's steady trek underneath his sweater vest.

"Al-- Alfred, wait. We are still on school grounds, you know..."

"Mm," came Alfred's reply, as he searched for, and found, his favorite spot on Arthur's neck to reclaim.

Arthur gasped and hissed. "I'm _not_ getting fired three days before summer break." 

"The principal knows, I told you. I already talked to him." 

"You talked to him about undressing me in the middle of my classroom?" 

"Well, _no_ , but--"

"Oh for god's sake," Arthur tried pushing him back, but he realized he wasn't in a much better state than Alfred was at that moment. It felt as if his skin was leaping, his body on fire, and all he wanted to do was go right back where he had been, tucked against the alpha's broad chest and letting him feel him up to his heart's content. "Alfred, _really_ \--"

"Go lock the door."

Arthur blinked rapidly, as Alfred drew himself up, hands tightening around the omega's waist even as he was asking him to move. Some things had changed and some things definitely hadn't-- Alfred looked serious, serious about the fact that he wanted Arthur to go and lock the door and that no, they weren't going to wait. The promising smirk on his lips is enough to make him think he didn't want to wait anymore either, as did the electric thrill it sent shooting down his spine, and he realized just exactly how long it had been since he'd experienced anything close outside the many tawdry dreams he'd had on the particularly difficult and lonely nights.

But because he still had _class_  and _reason_ , he didn't rush to obey, which Alfred knew he wouldn't. The commanding tone he used would always get the desired results-- eventually. Arthur pulled himself from Alfred's lap and walked over to the door to fix the lock. God forbid the janitor come through early today, or one of his students return because they'd left something behind. Anxiously his eyes swept over the other desks, adding another layer of shame to the entire ordeal, but he didn't have long to consider it as he felt the alpha drape himself over him from behind and pull him back towards his desk. 

"I missed you," Alfred whispered, before his fingers glided beneath the waistband of his trousers. "God, Arthur... I missed you so much..." 

"Prove it," Arthur whispered back, the sort of taunt he would never have made anywhere outside of their bedroom, but it seemed that didn't matter anymore. 

Not much else did, after that. It was his turn to drag Alfred to him by his dog tags, kissing him until he heard Alfred's groan and felt his hands twitch at his sides with want for more. It made him gleeful, and it was enough as the layers and layers of decency began to fall away in favor of rutting up against the alpha, _his_ alpha, with increased urgency. 

Before he knew what was happening he was bent over his desk, trousers at his ankles, staring at the front row of seats, the scatter of papers along the floor in the back. Someone had left behind a pencil, a pen. He had to find something to focus on so that he didn't simply cry and keen when Alfred shoved and curled his fingers inside of him, his own slick dribbling out of him in a way that was disgustingly clear evidence of _how fucking badly_  he wanted this too. 

Alfred must have been far gone too, too desperate to do anything but swear and grunt, rather than make some remark about how wet Arthur was for him, about how needy he was. Alfred had always done that, and Arthur had forgotten how much he missed that too. Thank god they could go home after this, and Alfred could say all that he wanted, for as long as he wanted, and Arthur wouldn't have to hold back his screams. 

At that moment, all they wanted was to feel. Enough words had been said already, after all. The most important ones. So Arthur only exhaled pitifully as he felt Alfred's fingers leave him, to be replaced by something much larger, throbbing heat at his backside and the alpha's tongue in his ear as he rocked against him. And when he felt himself spread, the omega relaxed around the girth entering him, feeling every inch as intimately as one might, after having only his own fingers to sate himself. 

"God, I missed  _you_ ," Arthur panted, echoing Alfred's words, and Alfred only laughed raggedly against his throat and pushed harder. 

"Thank god, I was startin' to worry--"

" _More_." 

More is what he received, until Arthur felt and heard the desk groan warily beneath them. He was never going to be able to look at it the same, though at least he'd have an entire summer to avoid it soon enough. A whole summer, hopefully with Alfred, to remind him of what he never wanted to lose. A whole summer to plan for, to anticipate. 

He came with a start, having known he wouldn't last, and neither did Alfred, who pinned him to the desk and slapped their hips together so violently, Arthur knew he was going to feel that later when Alfred fucked him up against whatever was closest in their apartment too. They lay there, Arthur's fingers clutching the edge of the desk as they gathered their bearings. 

"Your answer is still yes, right?" Alfred asked after a long moment, Arthur let go to reach back and give him an affectionate pinch to one of his arms (and good christ, it was pure muscle so he knew it couldn't have possibly hurt at all, despite the little whine the alpha gave him in turn). 

"To my own horror, yes. Now take me home before someone finds us and I'm out of job come September." 

When he craned his neck for another kiss, he found Alfred saluting at him teasingly. He held back the urge to slap him and kissed him instead, becoming the uptight school instructor once more as he ordered Alfred to clean them both up and make himself presentable so they could make it to the parking lot without causing a ruckus. 

It wouldn't be easy, of course, considering what a picture Alfred made, still too handsome, still too real. And somehow, Arthur would have to return here for two more days, and no doubt answer to the curiosities of his students who probably wanted to know if he'd said 'yes'. They probably felt it was owed to them, after all of that, after taking such a risk for Mr. Kirkland's boyfriend. They probably wouldn't want to do anymore work either.

So Arthur decided: he would make an exception for his class the next two days-- there was bound to be a video of some kind he could play to appease them. Just this once, of course.


End file.
